A Divine Encounter
by mm235678
Summary: "Come to me, Dibella, for without you, my words must lie dull and leaden without the gilding of grace and sagacity to enchant the reader's ear and eye." When worship of the Nine Divines is at an all-time low, Lady Dibella must travel to Tamriel. Follows her story as she learns about mortal concepts of fear, hate, corruption, and most importantly, love.
1. Chapter 1

"Life can be so boring when it goes on forever," thought Dibella. Watching and waiting, waiting and watching. That was her life nowadays. Things got dull quickly, and lately she had been occupying herself by watching the affairs of the mortals. Sometimes she envied them. At some point life would end for them. They didn't know what death would bring; glory in Sovngarde, eternity in Oblivion, or if it would just all be over. How Dibella wished she could experience that uncertainty. But alas, she knew everything. She and the other Aedra had shaped Mundus and guided the mortals day by day, year by year, eon by eon.

There are nine of them: the Nine Divines. The races throughout Tamriel call them different names, but we shall use the names given to them by the Nords of Skyrim; Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, Talos, and Zenithar. Akatosh, the Chief Deity, had summoned them all to the Pantheon to discuss certain 'issues'.

"No doubt this involves the mortals," sighed Dibella as she strode across the Pantheon to her throne.

She noticed Kynareth scoff at her as she passed. Today Dibella had appeared in her human form, in which she wore nothing but a sheer skirt around her waist and a lotus blossom in her long blonde hair. As she took her seat on her throne, she noticed Stendarr staring and gave him a playful wink. He quickly averted his gaze, embarrassed that she had caught him gawking at her, but Dibella did not mind one bit. She had created the woman body and was quite pleased with it, so she would always show off her work. While this made the goddesses criticize her lack of modesty, the gods never objected when she was topless. During their revels, all of the gods would get hopelessly drunk and fondled Dibella as she would pass. They all enjoyed her very much. All of them, that was, except for Akatosh.

"Oh, Akatosh," Dibella giggled in her mind. Just because every race in Tamriel worshipped him, he thought he should lead the Pantheon. She wasn't complaining, of course. Nobody else wanted to take charge, and quite frankly, Akatosh was best suited for the job. She saw him sitting upon the Dragon Throne in his human form, toying with the Amulet of Kings. He was King around here: the Dragon God. Truthfully, she and the others were intimidated by him when he came before them as a dragon. Power had made him quite a stickler for his own rules. He was like a grumpy old protective Father to them all; especially towards his real son, Arkay. Akatosh was always nitpicking at them all, complaining for intervening with mortal affairs. He thinks that the only connection to them should be through rewarding their loyalty and worship, but he himself has even indulged with the mortals. Let's not forget the Oblivion Crisis! How were the jaws of Oblivion sealed forever? By using Akatosh's power, of course! And sending the Last Dragonborn to Tamriel recently to banish Alduin the World-Eater, who was none other than a kin of Akatosh.

"If he carries on about this then all I need to do is remind him of that" Dibella reassured herself.

As she glanced around at the other skeptical Aedra, she realized she was not alone in thinking Akatosh was complaining again. Their faces were glazed with boredom and tiredness. As Akatosh ran around collecting papers and other objects, the Aedra exchanged these expressions and giggled with each other. Dibella did not take part in mocking Akatosh, but she enjoyed watching it.

After several minutes, Akatosh's booming voice called the Aedra. "Comrades," he thundered. "Welcome back. I am sure that you are all wondering why I called you here. As you know, some of the mortals are…unsure about our legitimacy."

All eyes went to Talos. He had once been mortal himself, but the Pantheon had agreed to let him ascend to godhood. He shifted uncomfortably and lowered his head, trying to avert the pitiful gazes of the Aedra.

"Poor dear," mused Dibella. Now he understood how dull it is to be a god, how frustrating it is to watch the mortals ignore your existence.

"Which is why," continued Akatosh, "I feel compelled to do this. It is bad enough for us already that the Nords of Skyrim are at war with the Empire. The Daedra have been much bolder as of late. Many mortals are converting to Daedra worship over Aedra. The number of cults arising is outrageous."

"My Vigilants are hard at work trying to eliminate all of the Daedra, Lord Akatosh!" yelled Stendarr triumphantly.

Akatosh nodded. "Yes, Stendarr, your followers have helped. But they have not helped enough. As you may or may not know, Alduin the World-Eater has broken through time into this era. Now the people of Skyrim are facing off dragons as well as soldiers. They need help. Our help."

"But Lord Akatosh," asked Zenithar timidly. "I thought the barrier of our godhood prevented us from traveling to Nirn?"

Akatosh grinned. "It does. But, I have discovered a way to bypass the system. It's very similar to the end of the Oblivion Crisis. We cannot go whilst we assume our godly forms, but if we take on mortal incarnates, we can reach Nirn similarly to the way the Daedra can. Unlike our demonic counterparts, we can freely walk Tamriel by use of these incarnates."

Akatosh smirked and looked at the others. Dibella couldn't believe what she was hearing. The utter hypocrisy of it all! Akatosh, who had always scorned the way of the Daedra and the way they enticed the mortals, was asking us to do the very same!

"Lord Akatosh," said Kynareth, "I am very surprised by this. I would never have expected you to ask this of us. As for Alduin, is he not your child? How shall you dispatch of him.

Akatosh looked grim. "Yes, Alduin is my eldest child. Alas, I cannot defeat him. He is immortal. But we can keep banishing him through time. As of now, that is the only way to keep him at bay. Paathurnax, Alduin's brother, is hard at work trying to find the Elder Scroll with the Dovahkiin- Dragonborn, whom we sent to Tamriel recently."

All throughout the Pantheon the Aedra nodded and whispered, "Dovahkiin," as if they were remembering the name. Dibella said the name as well. She loved the way it echoed against her teeth and turned her skin to gooseflesh.

"As for the matter of our worship," Akatosh continued. "I am assigning to each of you a region of Skyrim, and a mortal who needs your help. I expect you to assist them by using your own teachings, giving them faith in the Aedra. Here are your dossiers." He extended his arms and a red leather book fell into each of their laps. "Read it thoroughly and do exactly as it says. Come up to me once you are done reading and I shall send you to Tamriel in your mortal forms."

The Aedra looked and each other uneasily and began to read the dossiers.

"And what of you, Father?" asked Arkay. "What shall you be doing?"

Akatosh gave him a devilish grin and said, "I shall be here. Watching and waiting."

Dibella opened her dossier and read:

_Dibella: Lady of Love_

_Problem: Because your worship incorporates erotic love, this has revolted some mortals and caused them to consult Lady Mara for romantic guidance instead. You are described by many as 'too lusty', and your worshippers must practice Dibellan Arts in secrecy, for if their practices are revealed they could be run out of town. _

_Go to: Ivarstead in The Rift_

_Mission: Find Fastred. You must convince her to travel with you to Solitude. Help her get settled in and earn her trust. To restore your worship in Haafingar hold, you must unite her and a Solitude resident in matrimony. You will only be able to do this through use of your Dibellan Arts. Please refrain from sensual and erotic pleasures and beauty._

She was shocked. So the mortals thought she was too erotic? Yes, Dibella admitted to herself that her she got carried away with seductiveness, but what was wrong with her practices? After watching the mortals for eternity she realized that men seemed to be the dominant ones. And what of her daughters, the women? They were tossed around by the men! This had offended her immensely. If the mortals were displeased with her work then well, so be it. They were obviously interpreting her practices wrongly. The point is to be attractive through natural beauty, not slutty actions.

Now Dibella was angry with the mortals. She did not intend on assisting them. As she sat staring at the leather binding on the dossier, she could feel Akatosh's stare burning into her soul. Without looking, the vision of his stern glare made Dibella quiver. Before she realized what was happening, she was walking towards Akatosh. He noticed her outfit, or therefor lack of, and appeared to be disgusted.

"Try to keep your tongue off and your clothes on." Akatosh spat at her while she parted her hair over her shoulders. "Now, you understand what must be done?"

"Yes, Lord Akatosh."

"Wonderful. Here is what you will need to know about yourself: You are Dianne Winthrop and have lived in Riften your whole life. Your parents are dead and you are in Ivarstead looking to sell wheat from their farm. Now you are looking to move to Solitude to pray at the Temple of the Divines."

"Yes, Lord Akatosh."

Dibella, now Dianne, listened to Akatosh whisper an incantation.

"Bron Keizaal Kotin" he whispered. He repeated this saying over three more times. The Pantheon turned dark, and all Dibella could see was darkness. The wind whipped her hair around her. She tried to flail but could not. All she could do was wait.


	2. Chapter 2

And wait she did.

A bird called in the distance. The wind had died to a gentle breeze. The leaves danced amongst the clouds and waltzed between the tree branches. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"It is so cold here," she thought to herself. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, illuminating the high snowy mountains and autumnal trees. So this is Skyrim. She had been luckier than some of the other Aedra. Right now they were located in the wintry areas. Here she was in a beautiful setting amongst trees and a beautiful lake.

As the sun inched itself higher into the sky, painting pinks and yellows as it went, Dibella walked to the edge of the lake to see what she looked like… what Dianne looked like.

As she leaned over the pond, she was startled by her beauty. The girl Dianne was just as beautiful, maybe, dare she admit it, more beautiful than Dibella. Akatosh had placed her in the body of a Nord woman. Her blonde hair had been trimmed and tied into a neat braid over her shoulder. Her cheeks were rosy and soft, and her eyes shone green as the grass. Two rosy pink lips puckered naturally, and her ivory skin was splashed with freckles. The gown she was wearing was simple and modest: a blue tunic with a brown corset and a pink sash to tie it with.

By the spot where she had awoken was a satchel. She rummaged through it and found; a healing potion, an ebony dagger, a cowl, three diamonds, a small pouch filled with flour, and 500 septims. She remembered Akatosh telling her to travel to Ivarstead. There, she would find the farmer and sell him the flour. She could use the septims to solicit information to Fastred's location.

As she began to walk along a cobblestone path, the sun beat down hard upon her head. So, she removed the cowl from the satchel and tied it around her face.

"Much better," Dibella thought to herself. As she looked ahead, all she could see were trees. Above the crowns of the trees loomed a huge mountain, much bigger than any of the others around Tamriel.

"That must be the Throat of the World! How beautiful it is!" exclaimed Dibella. She stopped staring only when she noticed the road sign. It told her to follow a bridge to the West to reach Ivarstead. As she stepped onto the bridge, she heard a chilling growl behind her. She stopped cold and slowly turned.

There was a wolf with fur black as night slowly prowling towards her. She noticed its sharp rigid teeth protruding from its jaws.

"Damn you, Kynareth!" Dibella thought. In one fluid motion, Dibella drew the ebony dagger. In sync with her timing, the wolf leapt towards her throat. Reaching up, Dibella slit the beast's throat just as its jaws were about to close on her neck. As the wolf fell to the dirt, Dibella drew the dagger out. Pearls of blood were dripping off of it into a puddle around her boots.

"How disgusting," Dibella whined while trying to shake the blood off the dagger. She walked towards the lake to wash it off.

"Did you kill that beast, stranger?" asked a voice. Dibella whirled around to face a man with a helmet over his eyes and a red shield in his grasp. She raised the dagger.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" yelled the man, alarmed. "I'm just a guard around here. I'm not trying to hurt you. I heard the howl and came running. I'll ask again: Did you kill that beast?" he said, pointing to the body of the wolf.

"Yes, I did, sir" replied Dibella. "But I did not intend to kill it. Lady Kynareth shall be so upset with me."

The guard scoffed. "Lady, the Divines have abandoned us in this terrible time. Worshipping them is obsolete."

"Obsolete?" shrieked Dibella, standing up. "Without Talos's guidance, you would stand no chance in warfare! Without assistance from Lady Dibella, you would never find friendship or love! Have you any faith, sir?"

"No, I do not. Although I do seek guidance from Talos, I have no use for the other Divines."

Dibella opened her mouth to protest, but the guard interrupted, "I am not here to discuss political matters with you. I am here to ask if you are all right from being attacked."

"I am fine," uttered Dibella through clenched teeth. "I just need to reach Ivarstead to do business with the farmer there."

"Ivarstead is right across this bridge," said the guard while pointing to the top of a building looming over the hilltop. "You can stay at Vilemyr Inn while you're there. Not sure what a woman like you would be out here for, but whatever the reason, be sure to stay away from Shroud-Hearth Barrow."

Dibella nodded and hurried across the bridge. When she saw all of Ivarstead, her lips drooped in disappointment. For starters, the town was incredibly small. Dibella counted five buildings: one of which was burned and lay in ruin. The serene setting was nice, but the sinister-looking barrow ruined all of that.

"Might as well rent a room in the Inn first," thought Dibella. As she made her way into town, she passed a blonde bearded man. "Excuse me!" she called. "Where can I find the Vilemyr Inn?"

He turned and looked at her. "Vilemyr Inn? Its right over there," he pointed to a fairly large building to the left. "But why would an outsider like you be looking to stay here in Ivarstead?"

Dibella played through the scenario Akatosh had given her and said, "I come from Riften looking to sell flour to the farmer and raise money so that I can move to Solitude" she said.

"Solitude, you say? I hear it's a beautiful place. Well, the farmer here in town is Jofthor over at Fellstar Farm. He should give you a good price for flour" he nodded. As she turned to leave, he quickly added, "My name is Klimmek. Look for me if you need help. Have a safe journey, may the Nine watch over you!"

Dibella tried to conceal her smile. At last, she had finally found someone who acknowledged her existence!

She walked up the steps into the inn, the wood flooring buckling beneath her feet as she did so. When she pushed open the door, her nostrils filled with the smell of fire and mead. A bard stood in the corner strumming a melancholy tune on her lute. Two men sat by the fire with tankards filled with mead. Their hearty laughs echoed across the barren hall.

As Dibella made her way up to the innkeeper, she fished ten septims out of her satchel. She tossed the coins in her hands and laid them down in front of the man, who smiled slyly. "I'd like to rent a room," she said.

He picked up the coins with one hand and pointed towards a room with the other. "Enjoy your stay," he sputtered while fiddling with a bottle of wine.

"Actually, I have a question for you."

"Really now?" he smirked. "Well, I have answers for you. But I'm going to need a little more…" he clicked his tongue and rubbed his fingers together.

Dibella wanted to slap him on the spot. Mortal fool! Did he know he was trying to solicit a goddess! She would curse him for this!

Swallowing the need to harm him, Dibella sighed heavily and said, "Divines curse you," he rolled his eyes. Oh yes, he would pay dearly for this. She continued, "I'm looking for the whereabouts of a girl named Fastred." As she said this, she fished out ten more septims from her satchel. "Can you tell me where she lives?"

The innkeeper greedily grabbed the coins and muttered, "Yeah, Fastred. She's Jofthor's daughter. Lives up at Fellstar with her folks."

"Good day," she spat bitterly at the man as she turned away. After exiting the inn, she began to look around the town. In one corner sat a mill. Across from it was what appeared to be a small farm. Since there seemed to be no other farms around, Dibella walked towards it.

The sun was beginning to set, and the rays penetrated through the cowl. Dibella was blinded for a moment and stumbled around like an inebriate. Suddenly, she felt the impact of something else and fell to the ground.

"Oh my!" shrieked a girl's voice. "I am so terribly sorry!"

When she opened her eyes, Dibella saw a young girl with shoulder-length chestnut hair bending down to gather a breadbasket that had been strewn upon the impact. She extended her arm to help Dibella stand.

"Is your head alright?" asked the girl as she removed the cowl carefully. Dibella watched her face as it morphed from worry into astonishment.

"Am I alright?" Dibella asked worriedly.

"Oh yes, you are fine!" giggled the girl. "Sorry, I was so taken by your beauty! Why do you wear a cowl when you have such a beautiful face?"

Dibella was flattered, and she wasn't flattered often. The goddesses made fun of her and the gods would only complement her when they were drunk. The mortal girl was very pretty herself. Caramel eyes, prominent cheekbones, and creamy skin were the first features Dibella noticed. She liked the girl very much, so she decided to test her.

"I wear this cowl because Lady Dibella asked it of me, to protect my skin in the sunlight."

The girl smiled broadly. "The Nine Divines! Oh, how lucky you are! My family is too poor to leave work at the farm to travel. I have never been to a Temple. But I have heard stories of them, and I pray to Lady Mara and Lady Dibella to let a stranger fall in love with me, and he can whisk me right out of Ivarstead into a great city!"

That did it. Dibella loved this girl.

"Oh, how rude of me," responded the girl. "I never asked your name. What is it? Where do you come from? It's not often we see travelers around here."

"My name is Dib…Dianne. Dianne Winthrop." Dibella caught herself quickly. "I come from Riften to sell flour to the farmer so I can move to Solitude."

The girl replied, "Wonderful to meet you, Dianne. My name is Fastred."

Perfect.

Fastred continued, "My father Jofthor is the farmer around here. He can give you a good deal of septims for flour," she sighed dreamily and continued, "I 've never traveled outside of Ivarstead. My love keeps me pinned here."

Dibella's interests had suddenly peaked. "Love?" she asked. "Tell me of your problems. I can teach you what Lady Dibella has taught me. Let's walk to the inn."

Fastred glanced sadly back towards the farm, but suddenly a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Okay! I was headed there to give this breadbasket to Wilhelm, but I suppose I can stay a bit longer."

With a smile, the two girls walked towards the inn.

Wilhelm was the nasty innkeeper. Dibella kept note of this. She would be sure to curse him eternally once she returned to the Pantheon.

The two girls took a seat by the fire pit and picked up their conversation.

Fastred explained, "A few years ago, I used to see Klimmek. My parents adored him and nearly begged me to marry him. But they only want me to stay in Ivarstead so that I can work on the farm and take it over some day. If I married Klimmek, I would spend the rest of my days here in Ivarstead and never get to see the rest of Skyrim," she paused for a moment and her eyes suddenly glazed over dreamily. "And then there is Bassianus. He's been courting me for a month now, but it feels so…so right whenever I'm with him."

Dibella smiled and secretly envied her. She had spent a long time creating the emotion of love. It was such a complicated and gently thing, yet so easily influenced. But when love was true, there is no word strong enough to describe the ecstasy. How Dibella wished she could love as the mortals do.

Fastred went on, "But Papa hates Bassianus. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because Bassianus would have me move to Riften with him if we get married."

Dibella stifled a chuckle. This girl was so naïve, toying with love. Changing her object of affection frequently. Sure, she had a woman's body, but her mind was that of a child's.

"So," Fastred asked Dibella. "What do you think I should do? What have you learned from Dibella?"

Dibella thought for a moment and responded, "I shall recite to you the commandment of Lady Dibella: 'Open your heart to the noble secrets of art and love. Treasure the gifts of friendship. Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love.'"

Fastred looked confused. "What does that mean?"

Dibella winked. "Dwell upon it for a moment, good sister. Feel Dibella instructing your heart."

Fastred closed her eyes, and Dibella looked at her. Without her godly form, Dibella could not assist Fastred, but perhaps Fastred could assist herself.

After a moment Fastred opened her eyes and exclaimed, "I understand now!"

Dibella leaned forward to listen to Fastred's interpretation of the commandment.

"Ivarstead is a small down. It is only one small part of Skyrim, which is only one small part of Tamriel. But my love is not true with Bassianus or Klimmek…there is another man out there waiting for me."

Dibella nodded. That would have to do.

"But," Fastred added. "My parents would be so upset if I leave. And what if Lady Dibella is wrong? What if Bassianus and I are meant to be? …No, no. Of course we aren't. But he will be so heartbroken when I tell him."

Dibella piped up, "Then don't!"

Fastred looked alarmed. "What do you mean?"

"In two days I am leaving town, but I shall not go alone. You and I will sneak out of here. I'll take you to Riften, and there we can get a carriage ride to Solitude."

Fastred's caramel eyes lit up in excitement. "Two days? To Solitude? Oh my, this…this is a lot to think about. I'll meet you here tomorrow. Give me a day to decide."

"Fair enough," Dibella said. "But let's enjoy tonight. Bartender!" she yelled to Wilhelm. "Get us a round of mead over here!"

Dibella woke up the next morning with an awful throbbing in her temples. What was the word mortals used to describe this? Ah yes, a hangover.

As she tried to gather recollections of last night, Dibella remembered planning to sneak Fastred out into Solitude. After the first round of mead, there was a lot of singing and dancing in the inn, but nothing of importance. As she dressed herself, she noticed that she was down to 450 septims. Let's see, she had spent ten for the room and ten for the rumor, so she must have spent thirty more septims on mead. Curse alcohol.

As she stumbled out of the inn carrying the flour pouch, a group of men sitting by the bar called to her, "Hey Dianne! Some party last night! Who knew you could take so many rounds?" at that, they all roared in drunken laughter. Dibella smirked and continued on her way to the farm.

Fastred was working in the fields harvesting cabbage when Dibella walked through. She waved to her and quickly strolled over. "When I snuck in last night, my parents were asleep and didn't even notice I was gone. I still have yet to decide whether I'll go with you or not, but I'll meet you at the inn again tonight."

"Okay," Dibella responded. She was actually slightly disappointed that Fastred had not been caught. Since she was but a young woman, punishment may have triggered the rebellious side of her youth, making her more compelled to leave.

"My father is just inside the farmhouse. You can sell him that flour."

"Great, thank you!" Dibella said as she walked inside the farmhouse.

She crinkled her nose at the smell that filled her once she entered. It smelled like livestock, spoiled produce, and sweat. Lots of sweat. A woman stood by the fireplace, stirring a pot of stew, and an old man stood behind the counter.

"Good day, sir. You must be Jofthor," Dibella said.

"Yes, I am Jofthor. I haven't seen you around here before. What is your name?"

"I am Dianne Winthrop of Riften, here to sell you this pouch of flour," Dibella decided to leave out the part about traveling to Solitude with the money.

As she placed the pouch onto the counter, Jofthor's eyes got wide. He opened it and ran a finger across the flour's smooth surface. "Why, this is amazing! I could get so much use from this. I can give you 500 septims for it, will that work?"

Dibella smiled and exclaimed, "Wonderful!"

He passed over the septims to her, and she handed over the pouch. As she turned to leave, Jofthor shouted, "Good day, Dianne!"

Fastred was eagerly waiting for Dibella to come out. She ran up to her and whispered, "Well? How much did you get?"

Dibella winked and replied, "Five-hundred septims. On top of the four-hundred and fifty I already had, that should be more than enough for the carriage ride and rooms at the inn."

"Oh my," Fastred said with widened eyes. "Oh, this certainly is a difficult decision. I sure do have a lot to think about."

"And you should think about it carefully. Do what your heart asks of you. Lady Dibella shall guide you," Dibella smiled as she said this. Yes, Dibella would most certainly guide Fastred.

Fastred started to reply, but she directed her attention to above Dibella's head.

"Oh no,"

A deafening roar echoed across the mountains. Dibella whirled around and her mouth dropped open. Flying down from the Throat of the World was a huge dragon, with golden scythes and a maw of fire. They were the children of Akatosh, and not to be trifled with. Dibella recalled many years ago when these wyrms had infected all of Skyrim. Now they were back.

The citizens shrieked in terror as the beast swooped down and spat fire upon them.

"Fastred, go inside!" yelled Dibella. Even in this mortal body, Dibella could not be harmed. "I'll be okay, just go!" Fasted nodded quickly and stumbled as she ran inside the farmhouse. Her mother grabbed her and pulled her through the door, and her father emerged with a bow.

As the dragon flew by over their heads again, a barrage of arrows fell just short of the monster. Three guards along with Jofthor, Wilhelm, and Klimmek were all aiming their bows for a second round. After they let the arrows fly, one pierced the dragon in the neck. It roared, infuriated, and landed on the ground. In a split second, it had one of the guards in its maw. All they could do was watch helplessly as the guard was flung into the sky like a ragdoll.

At this point, Dibella drew her dagger to aid the men. Klimmek and another guard had been wounded by the dragon's razor teeth. Now the only ones fighting were Dibella, Jofthor, and a guard. Time seemed to slow as the dragon opened its wings and took to the sky. It locked its hideous gaze upon Jofthor and opened its mouth. Dibella couldn't let him be harmed. If he died, Fastred would never leave her mother alone to work on the farm.

In the same moment, flames licked Jofthor's shoulder, causing his tunic to be set ablaze which charred his skin. Dibella leapt into the air to push him away from the jet of flames. Before she came in contact with him, she heard a thunderous cry;

"Joor Zah Frul,"

The dragon suddenly was engulfed by a blue fire, and fell to the earth like a boulder. Suddenly, a figure leapt from behind it onto its head, and ran an ebony sword right through the beast's neck. The blade made it look as if piercing those armored scales was as easy as cutting butter. When the dragon fell down dead, the apparition dismounted and sheathed her sword.

Dibella stood up shakily and approached the shrouded figure. "Who are you?"

The figure took of the hood. Dibella was shocked to see it was a Nordic woman who looked much like Dianne. Her very beautiful face was flawless other than two light scars extending beneath her eyes. She spoke, "My name is Elysa. I am the Dragonborn."


	3. Chapter 3

"Dovahkiin," gasped Dibella as Elysa was engulfed in a purple mist. Behind her, the dragon's body was burning, its essence filling the Dragonborn until all that remained of the once ferocious creature was a white skeleton.

Elysa giggled sweetly. Dibella would have thought of her as a child like Fastred if she hadn't just watched the girl slit a dragon's throat. She spoke again in her innocent voice to ask, "Can you point me to the 7000 Steps? The Greybeards are waiting for me on the mountain."

Dibella had never climbed the 7000 Steps herself, but she remembered watching Tiber Septim climb them long ago. That was one of the reasons she had been so eager to let him join the ranks of the Gods. She told Elysa, "Follow the cobblestone path through town. The steps are there and keep leading up to the monastery."

"Thank you, stranger!" chimed Elysa as she walked ahead.

"Dragonborn!" called Dibella. Elysa whirled around.

"Be wary. That mountain is teeming with wild beasts. Be on your guard, and be very careful not to fall. The path gets very tight and hard to navigate at points. One wrong turn and you'll be either stuck in the frost or tumbling to your death. Safe travels. May the Divines watch over you. One day I hope to cross your path again."

"Blessings of the Divines upon you as well, traveler," smiled Elysa. Dibella watched her for several minutes as she ran up the path onto the mountain, sword drawn and radiating with newfound determination.

As she watched, the mountain began to twist and twirl. The ground was no longer beneath Dibella as she found herself shooting upwards towards the sky. An abrupt burst of color blinded her, and she felt herself lost in space.

After what seemed like years, the world stopped spinning. Dibella opened her eyes to find herself on a marble floor: the floor of the Pantheon. She had assumed her godly form in this holy place, and dusted herself off as she stood up. Looking around, she realized that the great room was vacant.

Thud.

The room was vacant no longer. Hovering before Dibella was a creature with crimson scales and leather wings. Unlike the dragon she had seen earlier, this one did not have the burning fire of hatred in its eye. Instead, its eyes crackled with immeasurable wisdom and a temper that, like the rest of Dragonkind, was extremely unpredictable.

She bowed on her knees and whispered, "Lord Akatosh,"

"Rise, Dibella," commanded Akatosh. Slowly and shakily, Dibella stood up. Akatosh frightened her very much when he took the form of his sons.

"What do you wish of me, Oh Lord Akatosh?"

"Dibella, I saw that you had a bit of a run-in with one of my kin," Akatosh said sternly. "And I also saw that you tried to fight the beast."

"Oh yes sir," Dibella said excitedly. "You see, they looked as if-"

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Akatosh roared as he struck Dibella across the face with the heel of his paw. Dibella clutched her cheek and fell to the ground whimpering. Akatosh was in a pure, uncontrolled blind fury as he raged on, "I sent to you Nirn to blend in with the mortal crowd and DISCREETLY guide them back to worship of the Divines! I did not send you to announce to the world that the Aedra were walking amongst them!"

"What has displeased you, Lord Akatosh?" whimpered Dibella as she caressed her scarred golden cheek.

"You dare ask that!" bellowed Akatosh as he lashed at her again, this time slashing his claws across her elbow, tearing off the beautiful skin. Dibella cried out in pain as godly fluids poured from her wound. "I was able to overlook you taking on a wolf, but taking on a dragon? That's practically begging for attention! Imagine if the Dovahkiin had not interfered and you had slain the beast? You would have a lot of explaining to do."

Now was Dibella's turn to be furious. "What are you saying? Are you saying that because I am a woman, that means I should not be able to slay a beast?"

Akatosh stammered for a moment, shocked at her truthful accusation. He stuttered, "Well, yes. Men are supposed to brandish the blades, and-"

"And women are supposed to be waiting for them at home? Give them a pat on the back and make them dinner? Is that why you created women, Akatosh? So that they could slave to your men?"

Akatosh growled silently as Dibella went on, "Well, you may have created women, but I guide them. I show them the light of truth. They discover their beauty in my sanctuaries. I tell them to go out and make their own difference in this world. Let me tell you, there are some wonderful women down in Skyrim whose potentials are hindered because they are stuck at home tending to their husbands' every want or need! Look at Fastred! One man wants to drag her to Riften, while the other wants her to stay and toil in Ivarstead the rest of her life. But that is not what Fastred wants. I told her my commandment and she interpreted it wonderfully. I have provided her direction. Are you going to stop her from taking that path simply because she is a woman?"

Akatosh sighed, not being able to look Dibella in the eye. She made a point.

But she was not done yet.

"You may have sent the Dragonborn to interfere, but have you noticed that the Dovahkiin is a woman herself? She is not a bloodthirsty or burly woman: she's only a maiden! She comes off as an innocent, polite, well-behaved woman. Yet she is destined to save the world. One day, one day, Akatosh…she will vanquish your son. And I shall guide her there. One day, you shall realize that women are just as good as men. Maybe you shall treat Kynareth and I better at that point. Think of your wife, Mara. Why do you love her? Do you even love her at all?"

Seeing the shameful look spread across Akatosh's reptilian face was good enough. Dibella rested her case.

"Go, Dibella," he whispered. "Do as you wish, but do not reveal who you are. Do not return here until you have completed your mission successfully. I do not want to see you until then."

"But Akatosh-"

"I SAID GO!" he roared as he spread his wings. Dibella screamed as he pounced on her, sending her spiraling down from the Pantheon into Mundus, into Nirn, into Tamriel, and into Skyrim.

"Dianne! Oh, not you too!" gasped a familiar voice.

Dibella opened her eyes to see Fastred standing above her, trying to rouse her.

"Oh good, you're alive. Are you okay? Did the dragon harm you as well?"

"No, I am fine. How is Jofthor?"

"Papa got badly burned on his shoulder. He will live, but the pain may last a long while."

Dibella gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad he's okay. I leave for Solitude tomorrow. I am assuming that you'll want to stay with him?"

Fastred looked down and sadly replied, "That seems like what I should do…"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hello my lovely readers! :D Hopefully all of you are enjoying the story so far. This is my first fanfiction, so please bear with me as I spend numerous hours tearing my hair out furiously trying to write while my bio homework lays unattended to XD **

**Your support and love for Fastred and Dibella has made me work extra hard to present this chapter to you. So, without further ado, let the story continue!**

**-mm235678**

Dibella nodded, but grew intrigued as Fastred sprouted a rebellion grin. "But I won't!" After seeing the look of surprise from Dibella, she went on, "You see, news of the dragon attack spread around quickly. Tomorrow, Ingun Black-Briar, the alchemist from Riften, is coming to heal everyone who was harmed. Oh, she'll have Papa fixed up in no time! I really want to accompany you, Dianne. I want to get out of here. One day my parents will understand why I need to leave, but I fear they will not understand until I am gone. Tomorrow I'll gather all my things and all the money I have. I'll write a note to mother and father saying not to worry. Oh, I'm so excited! How are you feeling?"

Dibella did not know how to reply to that question. She had never dwelt upon the concepts of emotion. She had been charged with creating them, but she had never experienced them. Sure, she felt pain when Akatosh struck her, and she was intimidated by him, but other than that, she did not know what it felt like to adventure. She decided that the one emotion she felt over the eons was apprehension. Constantly expecting something to go wrong. She watched the mortals fear death and wish for immortality. Sure, life went wrong for many of them. But unfortunately, life doesn't go wrong when you are a god.

"Life is a gift, my friends," she would think to them. "But it becomes a burden when it is your only purpose."

Realizing Fastred was still awaiting response, Dibella said, "I'm not sure how to describe what I'm feeling, but it is a very odd feeling,"

Fastred giggled and bade her farewell. Dibella returned to Vilemyr for the night, gathering her things so that she could sneak out quickly and quietly tomorrow. She fell asleep to the strum of the lute and the rambling of the guards who came inside for a round of mead.

The next day passed quickly, and before she realized it, it was nightfall.

Dibella put on her cowl and quickly exited the inn. Wilhelm was asleep and the bard was sleepily downing wine at the bar, too lost in her drink to notice the black figure slip out the door. Even though it was night, Dibella wore the cowl to ensure her identity would be hidden. As she stepped out into Ivarstead, she looked around to make sure Jofthor wasn't lingering. He was nowhere to be seen.

Earlier she had told Fastred to meet her by the bridge leading out of Ivarstead. When Dibella reached it, she was disappointed to see Fastred was not there. Had she been caught? Did she decide to back out?

As all of the possibilities to where Fastred could be raced through her mind, a meek voice behind her chimed, "Dianne? Is that you?"

Dibella nearly jumped out of her mortal skin. "Fasted?" she whispered. Hopefully Fastred could hear her murmur over the pounding of her heart.

"Yes, I'm right here," replied a voice from behind her. Dibella watched in awe as a piece of the dark night broke off to form Fastred's figure.

"You frightened me," whispered Dibella.

Fasted giggled, "I'm sorry, Dianne. I took a little longer to get out here. On my way out of the house I saw my father's old hunting bow and a quiver full of ebony arrows he had collected."

"The more the merrier," said Dibella. "Now come, we need to go. It's around midnight and we need to make it to Riften before sunrise.

Fastred didn't say anything more: she simply nodded meekly and gave one last longing glance at her family's farmhouse. With a longing sigh, she turned and followed Dibella, once again merging with the shadows.

"Get down!" ordered Dibella as she grabbed Fastred by the hem of her corset. They both fell into the dirt and remained motionless. Fastred was too mortified to move, and Dibella was too focused on hearing the leathery wings in the distance. For what seemed like hours, they waited in a thistle bush. Fastred was about to stand up, when the shadow of a crimson phantom flew over their heads. She watched it intently as the dragon flew into the mountains. They waited a few more moments just to be safe, and then crawled out of the bush.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you, but if that dragon had seen us we'd be dead,"

Lies.

If the dragon had caught them, Fastred would be the dead one.

"It's okay. I'm just so terribly frightened."

"Be brave, dear girl. We have quite a ways to go and you need to be on your guard at all times."

They walked for quite a ways more. Fasted began to relax and enjoyed watching the torchbugs hover over the water. She saw all the flowers blooming in a dazzling array. Then it crossed her mind that this was the farthest away she had ever been from home. She needed something to remind her of her first journey. After looking in front of her to make sure Dianne wasn't too far ahead, she bent down and gently plucked a mountain flower. Suddenly she was grabbed again. Bracing herself for Dianne pushing her down to impact with the ground, Fastred squeezed her eyes closed and tensed every muscle.

But the impact didn't come.

"Dian-"Fastred began to whisper, when suddenly a gloved hand clamped her jaw shut. Fastred shook with terror when she realized that Dianne was standing in front of her and was not the one grabbing her. Suddenly something cold and hard was pressed again her neck.

Dianne whirled around and gazed at Fastred with horror.

"Alright," spoke the gruff voice of a Dunmer. "Hand over your valuables, or I'll gut you like a fish."

Time seemed to freeze as Fastred tried to stop herself from shaking. The thief had a tight grip around her neck and she thought that if she moved even the slightest, the elf would snap her neck like _that_**. **

Finally Dibella spoke up. After mentally notifying Akatosh to damn this elf to Oblivion, she spoke softly, "Now let's not do anything rash, sir. See, I'm fishing out my valuables right now," as she said this, she took off her satchel and pulled out three flawless diamonds. The thief's mouth turned into an 'o' shape as he greedily looked at the diamonds.

"Dianne, no!" screamed Fastred once he had loosened his grip. Those diamonds could be sold for Solitude money. Fastred realized too late that if the thief got the diamonds then there would be no going to Solitude.

"Shut up, stupid girl!" yelled the elf as he threw her on the ground and beat her back with the handle of his dagger.

"Do you want my diamonds or not!" shrieked Dibella, horrified that he would kill Fastred at any moment.

"Give those to me," snarled the elf as he strode towards Dibella and extended his gloved hand.

A piercing noise erupted from somewhere within the forest. The Dunmer looked up quickly. Suddenly two ape-like figures howled as they emerged from the shadows and crushed the thief's skull in one swipe. Dibella quickly put the diamonds away and drew her dagger. Fastred scrambled to her feet and drew her bow.

"Trolls!" yelled Dianne as she dug her dagger into the arm of one. It howled madly and towered above her swinging its massive arms. As she prepared to be struck, Dibella watched wide-eyes as the troll was suddenly shot backwards. It lay motionless, an arrow sticking out of its head. As she turned to deal with the other one, a thunderous roar erupted from the trees...


	5. Chapter 5

"Fus Ro Dah!"

Like a terrible gust of wind, the force of the roar sent the troll flying backwards right into a tree. Another figure jumped out of the shadows and dug a dagger deep into the troll's throat. When it stopped flailing, the figure pulled out the dagger and blood began to spurt everywhere.

"Who else is out there?" asked a surprisingly familiar voice.

Fastred slowly stood up and Dibella asked cautiously, "Dovahkiin? Is that you?"

The Dragonborn tensed at being called her rightful name, but quickly barked, "I asked who else is out there. If I have to repeat myself again there will be bloodshed."

"My name is Dianne, and this is my friend Fastred. We come from Ivarstead and are traveling to Riften. When you passed through to the monastery you asked me for directions."

The Dragonborn laughed. "So, Dianne is your name? I guess you were right: we did meet again! I hope you don't mind me too much for asking, but what the hell are you doing going to Riften at this hour? You have a death wish?"

Dibella laughed. She liked Elysa very much. "I suppose I could ask the same thing of you."

"I'm actually headed to Helgen. The Jarl's steward up in Solitude told me the town's ruins have been overrun by bandits and I've been asked to clear them out. I hear someone scream and decided to check out what was happening. Good thing I did."

"Actually, the trolls saved us from that thief!" said Fasted. She seemed to have regained composure after being beaten by the elf.

"A thief? And a dead one?" asked Elysa excitedly. "What did he have? Did you search his clothes?"

"Gross, no!" howled Fasted.

Elysa looked shocked. "Well why not? It's not like they'll have any use for their things now!"

After convincing Fastred that they needed the extra goods, they spent time looting to corpse of the thief. Fastred took his hood and gloves, Dibella took his money, gemstones, and boots. Elysa took his armor to sell.

"Well, I better be off. May the Divines grant you safe passage to Riften!" chimed Elysa as she merged into the darkness.

"May they lead you to Helgen safely!" called Fastred. Dibella smiled at their devotion.

"Are you ready, Miss Fastred?" asked Dibella.

Fastred smiled widely. Spending time with the Dragonborn made her feel strong and brave. "As I'll ever be, Miss Dianne," she answered back. The two girls continued trekking into the night.

* * *

Almost an hour after Elysa had left for Helgen, Fastred began to grow fearful and homesick again.

"Dianne, what have I done? Mama and Papa will be so worried! How will they ever manage without me?"

Dibella felt like she was about to lose her mind. She was trying to keep Fastred out of harm's way, but with her bawling and whimpering every beast in Skyrim would come running. She tried to comfort her, "Fastred, you are only following your heart. The moon clouds your emotions, but with sunrise you will know that you have made the right choice. Let your heart be the one to guide you. Tell your other senses to rest."

"I don't think I can ever fight another beast again! Oh, that thief was absolutely terrifying! Why, I could have died, Dianne! I could have died!" With that, Fastred broke into hysterics as her floodgates broke and she burst into tears."

"Fastred, be quiet for a moment."

"What? Why?"

Suddenly, a huge cave bear lumbered out from behind two fir trees. Dibella leapt into action, stabbing and diving at the bear while it stuck her over and over. Dibella weakly raised her dagger in defense as the bear raised its huge paws again to strike, when suddenly it fell over dead. A single arrow protruded from its jawline.

Dianne turned to Fastred who was standing by the riverbank with her bow still drawn. "You know, Elysa interrupted me last time, but you really are quite good with that bow. How did that happen? Who taught you?"

Fastred chuckled humbly and laughed, "Oh, Papa just taught me how to use it if there was ever an emergency. He said I was quite good at it, though,"

On they walked, talking about Fastred's years growing up in Ivarstead. She was so indulged in her stories that she did not notice Dibella slit the throat of a wolf pouncing behind her. She didn't even notice the nirnroot farm that they passed. Dibella wasn't sure how she managed to do that. The humming of the plants was enough to drive her insane. But at one point, Fastred finally noticed the smell.

"I smell something salty. And it just got awfully breezy. Where are we, Dianne? What is that smell?"

As she finished that question, they rounded the turn that took them to the back gate of Riften. It gave them a full view of the docks, fishery, and harbor. The pink rays of the sun were barely starting to dance on the brink of the horizon, making the normally hazy harbor sparkle with uncommon beauty.

Dibella felt revolted by the worn-out style. Fastred fell in love with it. They stood there for what seemed like hours. Dibella was praying to Akatosh, thanking him for looking out for the girl and herself. Fastred was tearing up with happiness. Laughing, she ran to the shore and splashed some cold water on her face.

"The water in Ivarstead is so warm and uncomfortable. This water is so refreshing!" chimed Fastred.

"The water here is probably the most polluted in Tamriel," thought Dibella. The girl was enjoying herself, and while Dibella did not wish to partake with Fastred, she watched in wonder and jealously, wishing she could feel excited like that over the most trivial things.

"Fastred, let's get going inside the city walls. I can rent us a room at the Bee & Barb inn for the morning. It's around five right now, if we get up at nine we should be able to catch the carriage before news reaches that we are missing."

"Okay!" Fastred was practically skipping to the gate across the bridge. As Dibella reached for the door handle, she heard a noise,

"Halt, traveler," she whirled around to see a burly guard walking towards her. "The Jarl requires a tax of 20 septims for access to Riften. Pay up or be gone."

Dibella huffed angrily and tossed over 20 septims to the guard.

"Thank you, miss. Watch the skies."

He opened up the gates of Riften, and Fastred's eyes grew wide. "Look at all these houses! Is that a castle! The Temple of Mara? Oh, I've never been to a shrine, much less a temple!"

"Fastred!" Dibella cut her off. "People are sleeping inside those houses and temples, so try to keep it down."

"Okay," Fastred replied calmly. "Do we have any extra money for food?"

Dibella sighed, "I was going to get some mead for the trip, but we had to pay the stupid Jarl's travel tax. Oh well," Dibella was feeling groggy due to the lack of mead. Up in the Pantheon, they had the finest mead that they drank all night long. Of course, Dibella had never realized that it was good mead until she had tasted that of the mortals. It was too dry and too watery. Dibella missed her godly beverage.

"Is this the inn that you were talking about? The Bee & Barb?" Fastred asked whilst pointing to a corner building.

"Yes, that's it. Now we must cooperate and be very good. Be sure not to arouse suspicion," Dibella warned Fastred as they walked inside.

Two Argonians were managing the counter, serving mead to mercenaries and making idle chit-chat with some early customers. Dibella approached the counter and asked, "I'd like to rent a room please. Just for the morning, my friend and I here have been traveling."

The Argonian rolled her eyes and spat, "I didn't need to know the details, sweetheart. There ain't no traveling discount so pay up ten septims!"

Grumbling to herself, Dibella lay down ten septims, which the Argonian lady quickly took. The male Argonian led them upstairs to a small little room. "Enjoy your stay," he hissed in a bored tone and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Both girls fell on the bed and were asleep within minutes. Before she surrendered to sleep, Dibella prayed, "Akatosh, my lord, I know you are upset with me. But please wake me at nine. It is important for the girl so that I can help her complete what you have asked. I have learned what it feels like to show empathy and emotion thanks to these mortals, and I have so much in debt to them. Please, O Lord Akatosh, show empathy towards your fellow deity as well. Goodnight."


	6. Chapter 6

"Dianne, Dianne! Wake up!" called Fastred as she shook me awake. "It's around nine. We should get going, right?"

_Thank you, Akatosh. _"Yes, we should get going now. Is there food in here? I'm starving."

Fastred gestured to a bowl filled with apples on the nightstand. Dibella leapt for it eagerly, crunching on the apple's juicy skin. Riften may not be the nicest place in Skyrim, but the food here was amazing. After they both ate for a bit, they gathered there things and went off.

"Is that a marketplace?" asked Fastred excitedly when she exited the inn. "Look at all they have to sell!"

"Not now, Fastred," sighed Dibella as she pulled the girl back. "There is a much grander one in Solitude."

Fastred's eyes lit up excitedly. "Really? Oh, let's go get that carriage right now!" She was practically running towards the gate.

When they approached the large wooden door, the watch guard nodded, "Citizen," and opened the gate for them.

"Good day, sir," replied Dibella inconspicuously as she hurried Fastred through.

"It's so beautiful out here! Look at the way the sunbeams illuminate on the mist!" chimed Fastred. "And oh, look at the beautiful horses! I always asked Papa for a horse, but he said they were too expensive."

Dibella eyed the horse and nodded. It was one of the more beautiful children of Kynareth. "They are magnificent creatures. There is the carriage driver, are you ready to go?"

Fastred looked around sadly. "I've never left the Rift before, and I shall be so far from home. I hope my family isn't too worried. But I must follow my heart. To Solitude!"

Dibella laughed and approached the carriage driver. He told them, "I can take you to any of the Hold capitals. Where would you like to go?"

"Solitude, please," replied Dibella.

"Very well. That will be fifty septims, please." Dibella handed the coins over to him. He smiled and said, "Climb on back and we'll be off."

The two girls smiled broadly and clambered onto the back of the carriage. Fastred watched the world excitedly as the carriage driver whipped his horse and they started to move. Dibella fell asleep almost instantly. It was going to be a long ride to Solitude, and hopefully Fastred would keep her mouth closed for a bit and enjoy the beauty of Skyrim.

* * *

Dusk had begun to fall upon them. The cold wind whipped around Dibella's face. Snowflakes stabbed her cheeks like razors.

_Wait, snow? _Dibella thought. Sleepily, she opened her eyes. Fastred was huddled under a blanket she had packed, but watched the snowfall intently.

"Oh, you're awake! Look at all the snow! I've never seen snow before. It's fairly warm in Ivarstead. We'd get the occasional flakes off from the Throat of the World, but never a real snowstorm like this!"

Dibella had always watched the snowstorms from her realm. The way it whirled and danced around had intrigued her very much. But now she saw that the sensation from Skyrim's defining feature was a most unpleasant one. "Is this The Pale?" she asked the carriage driver.

"Yes," he replied. "We should reach Solitude in around twelve more hours. There is bread and honey in a barrel back there."

It looked to be around eight in the evening, so they would reach Solitude at eight in the morning. First, they would rent a room at the Winking Skeever. Then they would need to focus on getting a reputation around town. They both needed to find a way to attract attention to themselves. Actually, Dibella thought, Dianne would have no problem gaining attention, but it just wouldn't be the right kind of attention.

Amidst her plans for Fastred included; praying at the Temple of the Divines, touring the East Empire Company, and partying at the Winking Skeever. Hopefully they would discover much more to do in Solitude. Dibella had not doubt that Fastred would love the city. It sat on a huge cliff overlooking the Ghost Sea. Unlike the mucky water in Riften, this water was clear, clean, and beautiful. Even Dibella was looking forward to going there.

"Moo,"

Dibella and Fastred who had both been deep in thought whirled around to see what had made the noise.

"What was that?" asked Fastred.

The carriage driver's face suddenly paled. "That was a cow. And right behind it is a giant."

They all froze in terror and slowly looked up. Right behind the cow towered a gargantuan humanoid figure with grey skin. Fastred had only heard stories of the giants, and Dibella remembered to never annoy them, or face the wrath of their clubs. If hit with one, Dibella would find herself right back up in the Pantheon.

"What do we do?" asked Fastred nervously.

"I'll tell you what you do," said a new husky voice. They all whirled around to see a burly Nord clad in iron armor. "You step off this wagon and start running, so I can stab you in the back."

_Not another thief, _thought Dibella. As she looked him over, she noticed the steel war hammer strapped to his back. This wasn't any ordinary thief; this was a bandit. Thieves specialized in stealth, whilst bandits overpowered with force.

"Are you all going to keep staring at me or will you give me the wagon so I don't have to kill you?" snapped the bandit as he brandished his weapon.

"You wouldn't harm us," taunted Dibella. Maybe Stendarr would hear her plea and give this man some mercy.

But he didn't. Instead the bandit just chuckled and looked around. "See that cow over there?" Suddenly he charged towards the poor creature and bashed in its skull with a sickening crack. They screamed in horror as the cow fell down dead into the snow, its blood freezing into a sickly layer of ice.

Grinning slyly, the bandit returned to the wagon. "Now the same is in store for you. Prepare to die!"

However the bandit had failed to notice the giant, as it had blended in with the snowy landscape. When the bandit murdered the cow, the giant wailed in agony. After stroking the cow's hide, it sprinted towards the bandit, who was too oblivious to notice.

Dibella, Fastred, and the carriage driver all watched wide-eyed as the giant's club struck the bandit and sent him flying towards the heavens. His body flailed like a ragdoll until it became a barely noticeable black speck in the sky. Terrified, they all slowly lowered their gazes to the giant, who hadn't lowered his club and continued to whip it around his head.

Dibella braced herself, but Fastred looked at the giant pleadingly with her sweet caramel eyes. The giant stared at her blankly for what seemed like an hour. Finally, he lowered his club and walked away slowly. He approached the cow's body and sadly stroked the pelt for a few moments. It heartbrokenly tossed a few heaps of snow onto the body, then trudged away back towards the mountains, wailing sadly.

"That was the saddest thing I've ever seen," Fastred whimpered as a tear raced down her cheek. "The poor giants are hated by the races here in Skyrim. The cow was his only friend."

"He will find other giants and plenty more cows," chimed the carriage driver. "We had a lucky break there, but not all giants are empathetic like that one. We must move quickly."

He whipped the horse and they were off again. Fastred and Dibella pulled some blankets over them and hunkered down into the straw that lined the bottom of the wagon. After a few moments, Fastred was sound asleep, dreaming of days to come in Solitude and hoping the Giant would find more cows. In a minute, Dibella had drifted off as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Ahhh! I am so sorry it took me this long to write this chapter! I have been soooo busy with extracurriculars at school, I barely had time to breathe! But hopefully, this chapter will make up for lost time. I'm starting to introduce a rather..hmm.. scandalous;) plot. I decided to go a different way with this than I had originally planned (plus my computer died before I had the chance to save and I wanted to kick something hard). So enjoy! The next chapter will be coming much sooner!**

"By Ysmir," gasped a small voice.

Dibella groggily opened her eyes and blinked so that her eyes could adjust to her surroundings. They were no longer trekking through the wastelands of the pale: instead a beautiful hawk was gliding along the breeze above her head. Slowly, she sat up. Fastred was looking around with her jaw wide open.

"Welcome to Solitude, the capital of Skyrim," said the carriage driver as he brought his horse to a stop. Dibella sat up and looked around. To the south was a large green forest. To the north lay the beautiful sea, along with the East Empire Company docks running by the shore. Unlike the murky water of Riften, this water was bright and crystal clear.

"Look over there! Is that really Solitude?" Fastred marveled as she watched a large windmill slowly turn round and round. Sure enough, Solitude was an enormous city. The location was perfect as well. It sat on a natural arch overlooking the sea on the peak of a beautiful cliff. All around them, the wind caresses the beautiful trees, making them dance with a royal beauty. A large windmill twirled upon the cliff, and the Blue Palace dominated the skyline.

Slowly, the two women shakily got down from the carriage and gathered their things. They thanked the carriage driver and set off upon a rising cobblestone path towards the enchanting wooden gates.

"I'm here. I can't believe that I'm actually here," Fastred sighed as she gazed with awe at the city. "When I was a little girl, Papa used to have a book that told about Solitude. I'd heard about the windmill, and the palace, and the College. In my mind, it was the most beautiful place in the world. Now that I'm actually here, my dreams have come true"

Two guards dressed in crimson silver armor escorted them into the courtyard. The city was breathtaking. Huge military and political halls towered over terrace-laden walls. Vibrant foliage crept up trellises outside of great manors, while the homes of the common folk grew nightshade in a planter.

"That's the Winking Skeever right over there," Dibella pointed and grabbed Fastred's arm. It was a fairly large building, and a crowd of revelers danced around the entryway. They eyed the two women as they entered the inn.

"Oh my…Even the indoors are beautiful," Fastred sighed. The inn was incredibly well-kept, and a bard played a joyful tune on her flute as more revelers clapped and hooted. The air smelled of spiced wine, hearty mead, and fresh sweet rolls.

They made their way up to the counter, where an Imperial was counting some gold. "Good day ladies! Welcome to the Winking Skeever! What can I do for you?"

"We'd like to rent a room for the week, please" Dibella said as she fished septims out of her satchel.

"Doing some sightseeing, huh? I recommend the lighthouse, the Blue Palace, and the docks. Anyways, that'll be one hundred septims,"

As Dibella handed over the coin, Fastred asked, "Out of curiosity, why is this place called the Winking Skeever?"

"Oh brother," muttered an Imperial who was sweeping in the corner. "Don't bore them too much, father."

Corpulus, the innkeeper, rolled his eyes and continued. "Don't mind my son Sorex. He's heard the story a million times. Anyways, when I was young, I had a pet Skeever. They were smaller back then. And, it used to wink."

Fastred laughed, "Well I guess that's as good a reason as any!"

As Sorex laughed, Corpulus muttered, "I thought so too. Enjoy your stay."

After settling into their room, Fastred began to talk worriedly. "Oh, I feel just awful running away like that. I love it here, I really do, but I just feel out of place. I mean, look at me! I'm wearing a handmade dress and it's covered with dirt! Even the poor folk in Solitude are better dressed than I am!"

Dibella gave her a playful wink and walked towards her bag. Pulling out the coin purse, the many septims clanged together and she softly purred, "Fastred darling, don't forget we have this…and…" Dibella reached into the bag again, this time pulling out all of their beautiful diamonds and sapphires. "We have these too. Don't worry, my girl. We both deserve to buy some city clothes."

Oh how Dibella missed being in her godly form. The fabric of the corset squeezed her womanly areas in an uncomfortable manner, and Dianne's blonde hair always would tangle and toss in the breeze. Really, it was quite annoying. She didn't know how the mortals managed like this.

After walking to Radiant Rainments and being criticized by two snooty High Elves, the two women were glad to have a moment of peace as they searched through the lovely, elegant garments.

Fastred chose a beautiful green dress, adorned with all sorts of golden embellishments and a fox skin shawl. She tossed her old farm boots into the fire as she wiggled into her new leather fur-trimmed ones.

While she admired herself in the mirror, Dibella was deciding on how to dress her mortal self. Deciding to go simple, she chose a long white silk gown, with silver lace and a dipping V-neck. The gown clung to and showed off every curve of Dianne's body. Dibella was pleased as she glanced in the mirror. Certainly there was not a woman more beautiful than either of them at that moment.

Excitedly, Fastred handed over two hundred septims to one of the Altmer, whose amber eyes were just glowing with envy.

"I feel like a goddess, Dianne!" Fastred yelled giddily as she skipped along the sidewalk. "What should we do now?"

"Well, now that you mention it," said Dibella. "Maybe it's time we take you to a proper temple. In fact, this is the most proper temple in all of Skyrim. Follow me,"

* * *

As she walked into the Temple of the Divines, Dibella felt at home. The radiance of the Divine's undying love filled her mortal being, and, for the first time during her journey on Tamriel, she felt relaxed and carefree.

The mortal plane had introduced lots of unknown emotion concepts onto her. Her soul had felt weighed down by some formless mass. She could hardly find the words to describe it. Turns out emotions are heavy things, even though they weigh nothing at all. The mortal brain turned Dibella's mission into a metaphorical weight that clung onto Dianne's conscious. It may not have been existent, but the worry was always there, tugging at the back of her mind.

But now, as she entered her own sanctuary, the worry disappeared just as quickly as it had come on.

Fastred was simply at a loss. Never before had she experienced this kind of feeling. It was like living in a whole different world. When she closed her eyes, all of her worries seemed to be carried into the clouds. She was relaxed. She was happy. She could feel the connection between herself and the divines.

If only she knew that she had been in the presence of divinity this whole time.

"Why don't you go to Dibella's altar, Fastred?" Dianne said. "I'll be over by Akatosh's."

"Wait… Dianne-"Fastred called.

"What troubles you?"

"I… I don't know how to pray properly. What do I do?"

Dibella chuckled slightly. "Just sit and clear your mind. Focus on that one goal you have, the one wish you want in life. If you focus hard enough, you may be offered guidance."

"Thank you…I'll see what I can do."

Dibella watched Fastred close her eyes and furrow her brows together. Suddenly, the familiar spinning sensation took over her being. The next moment she was floating up, upwards into the cathedral of the temple.

And then, her altar turned into her throne. Once again, she was in the Pantheon. Akatosh stood in his human form watching her sternly. Noticing him, Dibella bowed deeply and humbly.

"Akatosh, my Lord," she whispered frightened. "What have I-"

"Silence, Dibella." Akatosh hushed her with a gesture. Using his hand, he pointed to a large mural of herself at one window of the Pantheon.

"Approach it," he beckoned. "Answer the girl's prayers."

Keeping her eyes on Akatosh for just a few moments longer, Dibella realized she was blankly staring instead of following his command. It really was not wise to ignore a command of Akatosh, especially since she had sent him into a blind rage of fury.

As he impatiently raised his eyebrows, she hurried along the hallway, loving the familiar feeling of her long swooping blonde hair brushing the floor, and the lotus blossoms adorning her golden locks. Standing in front of her mural, Dibella cleared her mind of all thoughts, and focused in on the figure of herself staring back into her azure eyes. At last, her own reflection morphed into the prayers of Fastred.

She could her Fastred's timid voice creep into the room. "Lady Dibella," she said.

"I ask for your guidance. I pray that you keep watch over my parents, and help them to understand why I needed to leave. I pray for Elysa, that she stay safe on her journey, and for my friend Dianne, who seems like she could use a moment to take a deep breath."

Dibella's connection with the mortal faltered for a moment as she was filled with the unpleasantness of stress and worry. Emotions took such a different toll on her mortal form than her godly being.

"But, Lady Dibella," Fastred continued, "I'm asking for your help in the ways of love guidance. Should I settle with a man in the Rift? It would do my family well to have me close to work on the farm. Or do I leave them behind and chase my love somewhere else?"

There is was again. Whenever Dibella would answer a mortal's prayer, she would suddenly enter a trance-like omniscient state. She could feel the knowledge of past, present, and future all rushing forward at once, ready to burst from her essence like a fountain. This knowledge, as it traveled through the space to Tamriel, would wind itself into fate. She doesn't predict the future; she creates it.

And so Dibella created Fastred's fate:

_"While men will always play their games_

_And other girls they seem to chase_

_The night with feelings expressed through red_

_When dark falls over Ivarstead_

_Love, true love, will ride up in haste"_

So she had spoken, so it shall be. If only she knew what the hell she was talking about.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh, it was such a strange feeling!" Fastred groaned as she kicked a stone down the wooden stairs to the docks. "I wasn't actually talking with her, but she still was able to reach me. I don't know how the Gods do it!"

"Neither do I, quite frankly," thought Dibella.

"But I've never felt so alive! Oh it was so surreal, but I feel so enlightened. Desperately confused, but enlightened nonetheless!"

"So what do you think we should do first?" Dibella asked while fixing her cowl. The sun was shining brightly today.

"Well, I think—Oh my…" They had just rounded the corner at the end of the dock staircase, and Fastred suddenly found herself entranced with the beautiful blue waters of the harbor. The sunbeams reflected off the water, and Fastred found herself transfixed with the azure waves. Never before had she seen anything so beautiful.

Dibella sighed impatiently as she noticed Fastred in her trance. Realizing that it was going to be a few moments, she turned around and surveyed the activity going on at the docks. A few guards were patrolling, some sailors were loading cargo off a ship into the East Empire Warehouse, and a finely dressed woman was yelling at a shady looking Argonian.

Coming down the stairs approached three figures all dressed in matching purple armor. Covering their faces were large black hoods. Dibella's skin began to prickle. Something was about to happen. The figures looked so familiar… their clothes, the brisk walk, and those pale hands. It was all too familiar. Then one looked up and met Dibella's blue eyes. Only the eyes looking back were shimmering gold. And that's when it clicked.

"Fastred…Listen to me. Do not panic, but we are in danger. When I reach three, I'm going to push you into the lake. Hide yourself and stay hidden until you hear me yell, 'Gods have mercy!'. Are we clear?"

Fastred's throat ran dry and she felt adrenaline course through her veins. It was killing her not being able to turn around, but all she would do was strain to whisper, "Yes,"

"One,"

The figures' pale hands went into their robes.

"Two,"

They spread out. One went right behind a guard who was distracted by watching a hawk. One went towards the warehouse, and the other headed straight for Dibella.

"Three!"

Dibella shoved Fastred into the water. In that same moment, the distracted guard's neck was slit by a dagger, and the pale hands came out, charging a blood red spell.

"VAMPIRES!" she yelled.

The vampire that had been advancing towards her discharged his vampiric drain. Dibella knew this spell all too well. Many a time had she watched Molag Bal use it on her fellow Aedra, draining them of strength. But without her immortal form, Dibella would be losing life.

Quickly darting out of the way of the spell, Dibella charged a spell of her own. With the skill of a master wizard, she let loose a blazing fireball. The vampire screeched and recoiled for only a moment. Then, it pulled out a dagger and slashed at her face. She ducked too late, and screamed as the steel blade slashed open her porcelain flesh.

Meanwhile, Fastred was swimming in the crystal waters, heading for a small shore just to the west of the docks. Pulling herself up onto the rocks, she took in a large breath. Glancing over, she saw that all hell had broken loose on the docks. Spells of all colors were flying, and guards were hurrying down the steps to snipe out what they could with bows. She hoped that Dianna was safe.

Dibella hoped the same of Fastred. Only the Master Vampire and her attacker remained. Dibella watched in fury as two guards fell to the Master's powerful destructive magic.

Giving her attention back to her attacker, she wielded a dagger in one hand and a fireball spell in the other. The phantom lunged at her, his dagger aimed straight for her throat. Time seemed to slow as Dibella leaned downward, her own arm coming up to deflect the knife. Shifting her weight, she turned herself around and struck at the vampire, but all she hit was empty air.

Bewildered, Dibella looked around. The dark creature was gone. But that couldn't be! There was no corpse, and she would have noticed those billowing black robes if he had fled.

Wait!

She felt her mortal skin tingle with apprehension. Turning around slowly, she noticed a strange pattern. As the wind blew the sea water, there was one spot where the currents seemed distorted. In fact, the delayed air ripple seemed to form a human shape. Charging up her spell, two things happened in one terrifying moment.

First, the vampire materialized from the air where Dibella had been looking. Dagger raised, he lunged for her.

In that same moment, Dibella had raised her hand to release the spell. Unfortunately, she noticed too late that her hand was caught in the dagger's path. Quickly, she spun around, flames following her path. But she did not escape unharmed. A foot-long gash tattered her new robes and blood flowed like wine. Shrieking, Dibella fell to the ground. Using the very last of her strength, she willed the flames to erupt from her hands.

But Akatosh was watching you, Dibella.

For in that moment, the vampire stumbled on an unseen object, and fell into the jet of flames. His cloak erupted in fire. After a few seconds, what had once been a creature of the night was no more than a pile of smoky ash floating away in the wind.

Next to her, the body of the Master Vampire fell dead, killed by a well-placed strike from one of the crew men. She felt the familiar tired wave of sleep washing of her. As her eyes fluttered, she took her last breath to yell, "Gods have mercy!"

And her world went dark.

* * *

"Hey, Fastred," called an unfamiliar husky voice. "I think your friend is waking up."

Dibella tried to open her eyes, but the light burned. Her head was pounding and all of her limbs felt lie dead weights.

The scurrying of feet in the room sounded like the Thu'um to her. Groaning, she rolled gently to her side, trying to ease the pain coursing through her body.

"Oh thank the Gods she's okay!" Fastred's familiar voice piped up. "Aquillius, can you get her some water? Maybe some bread too?"

"Sure thing," responded the man's voice.

Dibella felt the weight of the bed shift under her as Fastred sat next to her. "You gave me a bad scare there," she said. "After I heard you yell, I went back to the docks and found everything in the state it was in. The guards were about to take you to the Hall of the Dead, but you stirred when I yelled for you. Oh, I was so afraid to be alone. Thankfully, this man Aquillius stepped in. He saw the blood…your blood. Goodness Diane, it was everywhere. I'm so thankful you're alive. Aquillius knows a thing or two about healing, lucky for us, and he operated on you last night."

I slowly opened my eyes. The headache had eased and the light no longer burned my eyes. As they adjusted, I surveyed the room. A quaint fireplace housed a fire in one corner. The walls were exquisitely adorned with stone blocks and arch patterns. The bed sheets were made of green silk.

"Mph… Where are we? Whose house it this?" Dibella whispered.

Fastred sighed sadly. "Tragic story really. This place once belonged to a wealthy Imperial woman who was cousins with the Emperor. Oh, and she also ran the East Empire Company. Anyways, she was supposed to marry a Nord, and that caused a lot of controversy because of the war and whatnot. Here comes the tragic part. On her wedding day, she was murdered. Cut down in front of all of the guests. The house was left for her dear friend, Aquillius Aeresius, who is the man that's been taking care of you. He and I were up talking all night, and he's really quite an interesting fellow. Who knew that Imperials could be so funny?"

She continued to ramble for a bit as Dibella sat herself up. She finally hushed when Aquillius reentered the room, carrying a tray filled with food, drink, and supplies.

"I'm glad you're finally coming around, Dianne. You gave Fastred a bad scare there. My name is Aquillius, by the way. Aquillius Aeresius,"

"Charmed," Dibella said half-heartedly.

"Drink this up," he said as he handed her a brandy bottle filled with a suspicious liquid.

"What is it?"

"Potion made from mountain flowers and hanging moss I gathered outside. It'll help heal your arm."

Nervously, Dibella glanced at her arm and almost screamed. It was swelled up to almost twice its normal size and was oozing a strange green liquid. The gash was a dark red and gleamed with sickly moisture. She looked quickly away and chugged the potion.

"Good girl. How 'bout some bread and apple cabbage stew? Vittoria used to love this stuff…"

"Yes please," Dibella croaked.

As she and Fastred shared the meal, Dibella's mind was overflowing. Never before had she experienced pain like this. The feeling was always there. There was nothing in her willpower that she could do to make it go away. The invisible pressure was forcing on her back again and pulled her stomach up. The mortal stress was getting to be too much to handle.

But what would a god do?

Her answer disappointed her. She would have not known what to do as a god. Gods don't experience the unpleasant emotions, they just created them. Sure she knew some simple ones like anger and sadness, but the concepts of stress and worry were unknown to her. Akatosh surely understands them, but not gods like Dibella and Arkay who spend their time raving with each other in the Pantheon, having only good times for all eternity.

Dare she say that she had developed respect for the mortals? A week ago she'd have been revolted with herself for letting that thought cross her mind. But ever since this firsthand encounter… she wasn't sure what to think. And as she felt the effects of the potion working, she decided to leave it at that.

"Thank you very much, Aquillius," Fastred had said once she finished her meal.

"Anything to help out," responded the man as he took their dishes away.

"How are you feeling?" Fastred nervously asked Dianne.

"Much better,"

"Good."

"How are you doing? Adjusting to the city?"  
"It's a strange transition… But I think I can handle it. Once we get jobs I think things will go much better."

"Do you have any idea where we can find work?"

"Did you say that you're looking for work?" said the deep voice of Aquillius as he entered the room. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but there is an opening at the East Empire Company. There's been a spot open as my assistant ever since Vittoria…"

"Would you be willing to give that to us?" asked Fastred excitedly.

"I can only give the position to one of you. The pay is very well and all you need to do is financing and keep track of sale records."

"Fastred, you should take it," said Dibella. "You have all that experience managing the farm, right?"

"Oh…well, yes, but…"

"Do it! I'll find something to occupy my time. Plus I can't really be of much assistance with my arm like this…" Dibella urged, waving her makeshift cast for emphasis.

"Well….Alright. I'll do my best, Aquillius. Thank you."

"No, my dear, thank you! Tomorrow I'll take you down there and show you the ropes. Dianne, the swelling should go down in the morning. While we're out feel free to use what you need here in the manor and wander in the city as you wish. I advise you to only stay inside the walls, for Skyrim outside city gates is like a whole different world.

_I know. I created it. _Dibella thought in her head, and had to bite her tongue to keep herself quiet.

"Well Fastred, it's getting to be evening. I can take you down and show you the hut at the docks where you'll be stationed if you would like."

"Oh!" Fastred exclaimed. "I'd love to… Would you be okay with it, Dianne?"

"Go," she chuckled. "I need to rest anyways."

Fastred looked sad, but the frown slowly melted into a smirk. "Alright, but I do hope you feel better."

"Have fun," she smiled.

As soon as she heard the main door close, Dibella's head hit the pillow. As she entered the trance of sleep though, she did not get the restful peace that she so desperately longed for.


	9. Chapter 9

When Dibella awoke, she was laying down on the floor of the Pantheon. As she looked around, it seemed to be empty. The thrones hadn't been shined in a while and they looked as if they had been vacant for too long. The only noise she heard was the trickling of water from the beautiful fountain in the back of the cathedral. As she stared at the fountain for a moment, she jumped, startled. Akatosh had suddenly materialized before her, his old eyes looking even more tired.

"You look weary, Father," Dibella said fearfully.

"Dear girl, I'm as weary as I've always been. But now you have seen the world. You can recognize the stress that I bear."

"Oh…Is that a good thing, Lord?"

"Perhaps, but you have bigger concerns now."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Beware. Protect her heart, Dibella."

"Akatosh, what are you saying?"

"You'll know what to do, I have faith in you. But you will learn so much about yourself from this."

"Wait, father!"

But he was gone when she reached out for him.

Looking around helplessly, Dibella felt alone again. As she searched desperately for some hint of truth, her eyes landed upon her altar. It was a beautiful gold-plated pyre behind her throne. It was there that she would shape and create love, see images of the future, and shape women's lives to follow their fate. Eagerly, she began to run towards it.

But as she ran, the marble tiles below her feet collapsed and fell down to the earth. Cursing, she ran fasted. But the faster she ran, the quicker the Pantheon collapsed around her. Eventually, she lost her footing, and fell fast.

She woke up with a start, panting heavily.

Morning sunlight danced on her bed sheet. She must have slept through from yesterday evening. Judging by the sense of stillness in the large house, she guessed Fastred and Aquillius had headed to work long ago.

As she rose out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen, the warning from Akatosh played again in her head.

"Beware, protect her heart."

What could that mean? And, more concerning, why couldn't she figure it out? Hearts dealt with love, which was her domain. She must have been away from the Pantheon for too long. She could feel her divine wisdom floating away alongside her powers. She felt more and more mortal with each passing hour.

As she made a breakfast for herself consisting of sweet rolls and honey nut treats wrapped in salmon steak. After she quickly scarfed down her food, she searched around for some mead. She was going into withdrawal, and she felt the need to down a bottle consuming her essence. As she scavenged the kitchen she did take a moment to acknowledge that Aquillius' house was very elegant. It was filled with fancy architecture and expensive furniture and cooking ware. His job must be earning him a pretty penny.

Finally, she found a bottle of Mead with Juniper Berry stashed in a cupboard. As she chugged it, she found herself rather enjoying the extra kick provided by berry. It was nowhere near as good as divine mead, but good mead nonetheless. As she sat drinking, she took a moment to look out the window. Across from his house was a large manor. She gazed at it for a while, admiring the beautiful architecture of it.

Quick as a flash, a crimson phantom sprinted across the lane and disappeared into the shadows of the terrace. Dibella rubbed her eyes and gazed at the spot where the figure had appeared only moments ago, but she could see no sign of any life having been there. She must have been imagining things. Shrugging it off, she stood up and began to do what she does best… judge men.

Due to her inquisitive nature, Dibella spent a good hour snooping around the house. There had been one room in particular that sparked her interest. The walls and furniture were the same style as the rest of the house, but all of the wardrobes (yes, she even went through those) were filled with elegant women's clothes and jewelry. The room smelled faintly of roses and cinnamon. One thing that drew Dibella's attention the most was a beautiful laurel crown resting on the bed. It was a stunning piece embellished with white roses and red ribbons.

_Aquillius shouldn't mind if I borrow some of these clothes, _thought Dibella. _I won't stand to be trapped in this house all day, and he won't need these._

So, she chose an elegant red robe and adorned it with sapphire necklaces and circlets. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she smiled, pleased with her appearance. The gash on her arm was covered and the garment clung to her body just as well as her other white robe, which had been ruined by the blood from her vampire incident.

Feeling extremely confident with the boost from her newly healed outfit and body, she took her coin purse and walked out onto the front terrace. In the midday sun, she squinted for a moment, inhaling the sweet air and smiling happily to herself. As she descended down the stone steps, a figure in ebony armor sprinted right into her, and Dibella found herself being slammed into the hard stone wall.

"Hey!" She yelled, annoyed and dazed. "Watch where you're going!"

The figure turned around and Dibella shrunk back, intimidated by the stranger's appearance. The ebony armor accentuated all of the wearer's muscles in a frightening manner. A four foot-long glowing blade was drawn at-the-ready and a dark ebony helmet hid the person's face. But something seemed odd. The style of the armor around the chest…and the way it dipped seemed very odd. This man must have gotten his armor homemade. It had a very feminine look to it.

But as the stranger took off his helmet, Dibella realized that there was a good reason as to why the armor was so curvy. He was a she…And a very familiar one at that.

The woman gave an apologetic smirk. "Dianne!" she laughed. "Fancy 'running' into you here!" giggled Elysa.

"Elysa! My goodness, fancy meeting you here!" said Dibella. "What brings you into the city?"

"Well…" the Dragonborn faltered, thinking about her next words. "Let's just say I had some….business to attend to."

"I see. Well, do you have an hour? I was just on my way to go to the marketplace."

"Umm… Well, I suppose I can stay for a little while longer. But when the time comes I must leave immediately. I have other…err... duties, to attend to."

"Splendid! Walk with me,"

As they strolled, Dibella told Elysa about the vampire encounter. In turn, Elysa informed her about the Dawnguard, a whole organization dedicated to fighting vampires. It pleased Dibella to hear of the mortals taking the fight to the Daedra (pesky Molag Bal in particular).

They shopped for a bit and chatted. Elysa told her about the Blue Palace, parties at the Winking Skeever, and festivities at the Bard's College. She kept glancing off into the distance every once in a while and she seemed to be deep in worried thought at some moments.

As Dibella was browsing through some wine in the marketplace, a terrible scream erupted from somewhere outside the gates. A guard ran in with his helmet off, his cheeks red from crying. A hush fell over the gathering crowd as the guard fell to his knees and shook with heavy sobs.

"I saw it myself…Gods, I wish I hadn't," he choked. "Good people of Solitude… the Emperor of Tamriel lies dead on Solitude's coast. Emperor Titus Mede II has been murdered. "

For a moment, no one said anything. The city was deathly silent. Then people began to say things like,

"In our own land…"

"It can't be true!"

"Gods, who would do such a thing?"

"Elysa, did you hear-" Dibella whirled around, but the Dovahkiin was no longer standing next to her.

_Guess she had to go, _thought Dibella.

As she looked at the panicked faces of the people, she was filled with a sad feeling of helplessness. In fact, she could relate. Being away from Akatosh for so long was like losing her leader. But she would get to see him again, and these mortals would not. Death was a curious thing. She didn't like to indulge herself in those thoughts, though. That was what the Daedra do. Well, the Daedra and Arkay, for that matter, but its two very different concepts between the Aedra and Daedra perspectives. She wasn't quite sure how to explain it, either.

The rest of that day Dibella spent at the temple and strolling along the palace terraces. It was very relaxing for a change. But even though she was at ease, she would sense that the city was tense and mourning from the death of the Emperor. The other provinces of Tamriel would not view Skyrim the same once they discovered he was cut down in warm blood there. The palace was especially radiating tense energy. It was concerning.

Around eight o'clock, Fastred and Aquillius returned home. Dibella heard the front door open, followed by lots of laughter. As she came up into the entryway, Dibella saw Aquillius dump a whole bag of gold into the table, and Fastred whooped with glee.

"What's all this for?" Dibella asked.

"I'm rich!" cheered Aquillius, as he threw up a handful of gold septims. He laughed as they clattered to the floor. "With the Emperor dead, I've been promoted to President of the East Empire Company! Oh, if only Vittoria could see me now…"

"I made a two-thousand septim bonus today as well!" said Fastred as she rubbed some of the coins giddily. "We got off of work around five when news broke of the murder. Then we got our raises and Aquillius took me around Solitude for a bit."

"On our way up," said Aquillius. "There was a cave bear sitting right on the trail. But Fastred whipped out her bow and killed that sucker in three shots! It was riveting!"

Fastred blushed and giggled, "Oh, it wasn't that big of a deal. But then Aquillius took me to the forge and showed me how to make all sorts of jewelry and arrows. Gods, it was a fun night."

"And it ain't over yet!" laughed Aquillius. "Come on, girls. Let's party at the Winking Skeever tonight. Drinks are on me!"

When they entered the inn, it was full of all sorts of people. Drunks, nobles, and beast folk alike were al gathered for some good songs and drinks.

Aquillius pulled up three chairs around a table where a balding Nord was chugging some mead. "Belrand!" he called. "How's mercenary work going?"

"Ah, Aquillius," sighed Belrand. "I spend all my hours here wasting away. But its nights like this when I'm happy to be safe, sound, and hopelessly drunk!" His attention turned over to Fastred and Dianne. "Ooh, what have we here? Is one of them for me, Aquillius?"

The girls both stepped back, disgusted. Aquillius shook his head and laughed. "No, no, Belrand. These are some, ah, associates of mind. They're new in town and I thought I'd take them out for a drink or two."

"I see then," said the Nord disappointedly. "But ladies, keep me in mind if you're looking to spend some time with a mercenary man like myself."

It was then that Aquillius noticed what Dianne was wearing. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside.

"Where did you get that robe?" he demanded with a stern look on his face.

Taken aback by his force, Dibella straightened up and took a deep breath. "I found it, and I liked it, so I wore it. It's simply a stunning piece."

Glancing at her body, she saw him raise one eyebrow slightly in approval. "Well… I suppose I can let you wear it. But in the future you should ask before taking things that don't belong to you." With that, he turned around, put his arm around Fastred and began to boast with the other nobles in the tavern.

_Well that was odd, _thought Dibella to herself. Feeling the urge for a pick-me-up, she walked over to the counter and placed an order.

"Sorex!" she called to the innkeeper's son. "I'd like some spiced wine, please. Place the charge for Aquillius Aeresius."

"Dianne!" he said with a smile. "Where have you been these last few days? We've been holding your room for you, you know."

Dibella sighed. "Yes, it was most unfortunate. I got into a bit of a dilemma and was wounded for a bit. Aquillius took care of me and Fastred for the time being, but we should be returning here tonight and stay for the next four days."

"Wonderful! Here's your spiced wine," Dibella took the cup and they talked for a while about the death of the Emperor. Fastred came to join them a while later.

"Sorex, hello!" she cheered as she sat next to Dibella at the bar.

"Fastred," Sorex smiled widely. "You're looking well."

"This is a wonderful party. Does this happen every week?"

"Hah, more like every night."

"I can't believe I missed this those first few days. Have you met Aquillius?"

"We've talked once or twice before."

"Oh, he's a true gentleman. Gave me a job, some food, and comfort. I'm very lucky."

"I see… Is he courting you?"

Fastred blushed and giggled innocently. "Why heavens, no! He's just my friend."

"Sure, sure, if you say so. Well, I do hope you girls stick around a while longer. Lisette should start playing soon and then the fun will start."

"Our bard in Ivarstead never sang. I can't wait to hear some songs. Well, we should be off. I'll catch up with you soon, Sorex!"

"Goodbye Fastred! Dianne,"

Just as the two girls reached the other side of the inn by Aquillius, a blonde haired woman came in carrying a lute. Everyone hooted and hollered at her, and she held up her lute triumphantly.

"In memory of Emperor Titus Mede II, I dedicate this song to the legion," she said. Dibella liked this woman's voice very much. It reminded her vaguely of Mara, who also had a very kind and lovely voice.

All of the men in the room held up their drinks and cheered, "TO THE LEGION!"

She strummed up her lute and began to sing in a beautiful voice,

_We drink to our youth,_

_To the days come and gone_

_For the age of aggression is just about done_

At this point, everyone in the inn grabbed someone and began to dance and sing. Fastred was grabbed by Aquillius, and Dibella walked over to Sorex. Everyone began to yell along, raising their mugs every once in a while to toast the empire as the song continued. The next lines were sung loudly by everyone.

_"WE'LL DRIVE OUT THE STORMCLOAKS AND RESTORE WHAT WE OWN_

_WITH OUR BLOOD AND OUR STEEL WE WILL TAKE BACK OUR HOME"_

"Ready?" Sorex whispered to Dibella. "Follow my lead,"

He took her hand, and everyone else in the inn stepped into a circle along with him. Raising their hands and sloshing their drinks, a cry went up so loud they had to hear it back in Ivarstead.

"**DOWN WITH ULFRIC!** THE KILLER OF KINGS!

ON THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH WE WILL DRINK AND WE'LL SING

WE'RE THE CHILDREN OF SKYRIM AND WE FIGHT ALL OUR LIVES

AND WHEN SOVNGARDE BECKONS, EVERY ONE OF US DIES!"

As the song finished out, Dibella collapsed laughing into Sorex's arms. But his gaze lingered elsewhere, and she wasn't sure where. It didn't concern her at the moment, and she was drunkenly laughing and staggering. At some point during the night, she had blacked out, and remembered nothing.

**A/N: Poor Dibella...she seems to pass out a lot :P This chapter was really fun to write. I've always wanted to try to describe a bard's song in writing and, well, I took a shot:) Hope you guys enjoyed! Thank you, you reviewers in particular. You guys have given me lots of amazing ideas, and I loved finding ways to integrate them into the plotline I have envisioned. :* **

**-mm235678**


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